Adventures Aboard the Astra
by openbookworm
Summary: Smutty fanfiction written for the author of Sket Dance's latest work, 'Kanata no Astra'. Described by the mangaka, Shinohara Kenta himself, as 'sci-fi survival thriller meets heartwarming gag manga'. It's a fairly short manga at 46 chapters with a complete storyline, well-paced plot, and strong characters that I fell in love with. Please give it a try and I'm sure you'll be hooked.
1. Chapter 1

_This scene takes place at the end of Chapter Twenty, where Aries' attempt to get closer to Kanata is ruined when the implication of asking if he has a girlfriend flies over his head._

Aries lay on her side in bed, still fuming at Kanata's obliviousness. Geez, what was wrong with him? Couldn't he tell that it had taken a lot of courage to ask if he had a girlfriend? And what was all that about being 'friends with all girls everywhere'? He- he was such a playtoy!

After she fled from Kanata's room, she decided to excuse herself from the girls' gossip corner by taking a shower. The cold water refreshed her after experiencing a full day of Planet Arispade's tropical heat, but it couldn't wash away the embarrassment of her failed confession. It was the first time Aries had ever felt this way about a boy, and she couldn't help but feel that it would have gone better if she had a bit more confidence in herself.

Aries rolled over with a sigh. Her hand absentmindedly rose to her head and a twist of a finger brought a strand of her hair to rest in front of her eyes. Out of long habit she compared her vibrant pink hair, turned a darker shade from the moisture, to her mother's silky black locks.

Despite her bubbly personality and cheerful attitude, there were times when Aries couldn't suppress her own insecurities. Ever since Aries was a little girl, her pink hair and heterochromatic eyes had attracted attention, especially of the boys her own age. And in the manner of little boys everywhere, the boys had responded to this attraction by teasing her. It had never escalated beyond the stage of pulling on her pigtails, but Aries burst into tears the first time a boy had told her Emma Spring couldn't be her mother since they didn't look anything alike.

A scolding from the teacher put an end to the teasing, but Aries kept sobbing until her mother arrived to pick her up from preschool. Emma Spring reacted to the surprise armful of crying toddler with an endless reserve of calm compassion. She collected the crying young girl in a hug and held her tightly with one arm, while the other took out a handkerchief and wiped away the mix of tears and snot spilling down Aries' face. A hand stroking down her back soothed Aries' sobs until Emma could actually make out words from the toddler's babble.

Emma then lifted Aries' chin until their eyes met and with a loving smile Emma said, "You are my daughter. You are the love of my life. Your hair and eyes are some of the most beautiful things in the world. There is nothing I would change about you. I carried you into this world and I will always love you more than anything else."

The tears that poured forth from little Aries' eyes at that moment were tears of happiness and relief. That day had become one of Aries' fondest memories and a reason to be grateful for her eidetic memory.

However, the incident left its scar on her heart. Even with Emma Spring's constant love and support, the words and gossip of targeting her still left their pricks in her skin. She had overheard the neighbourhood housewives gossip that if Aries looked more like her mother, it would be easier for a prospective suitor to forget that Emma Spring had a previous lover. By the time Aries had grown old enough to understand what this gossip implied, she was mature enough to not take the mean-spirited words to heart, but she still wished that her face could reflect her mother's features. Aries had avoided dying her hair or getting coloured contacts as it might reveal her insecurities about her looks and worry her mother, but she began to adopt the white buns on her hair in an attempt to darken her hair by contrast.

Over time, Aries had grown accustomed to her looks and accepted that, like her large appetite and clumsy speech, they were just a part of the pinkette. In high school she made friends who admired her looks and encouraged her to dress in a way that accented her unique features and she had learned to take pride in her distinctive colouring. Nevertheless, at times like this, her old insecurities popped up.

Her mind was broken out of this bout of self-disgust when she heard a knock on the door. Startled by the noise, Aries quickly sat up in bed.

"I'm not awake! No! I meant that I'm still asleep! … never mind, who is it?"

Yun-Hua's sweet voice flowed through the door. "Aries? It's me Yun-Hua. I heard from Quitterie that your confession didn't go so well. Would you like some company?"

Aries hesitated for a moment. She didn't really want to go over the embarrassing incident, but the thought of staying in her room alone and remaining stuck on her own insecurities lead her to rise from the bed and welcome Yun-Hua in.

As the door slid open with a slight hum, Yun-Hua smiled kindly at Aries and stepped into the room carrying two mugs of steaming hot liquid on a tray. The singer set the tray down on the room's desk before passing one mug to Aries and taking the other for herself. The two then sat facing each other on top of the bed.

Yun-Hua lifted the drink to her lips in a two-handed grip and took a sip. "It's hot cocoa. The perfect drink for when you have a troubled heart. Be careful though, you might burn your tongue."

Aries copied the motion, but as the taste washed over her tongue the pinkette couldn't resist taking a bigger gulp. The rich taste of chocolate and marshmallows stunned Aries' taste buds after weeks of living on food foraged from the wilderness. The alien fruits, vegetables, and animals might have exotic flavours and textures, but this drink almost made it feel like she was back on Astra. However the stinging pain on her tongue reminded her of Yun-Hua's warning and with a painful gulp she was forced to swallow the rest of the hot liquid before trying to cool her burnt tongue with a flapping hand.

Yun-Hua giggled at Aries' little display and took the mug away from Aries, so that the pinkette could use both her hands in the cooling attempt.

"I did warn you Aries."

Aries couldn't help the pained laugh that bubbled out in response to Yun-Hua's teasing. It was good to see the once-gloomy girl break out of her shell. There were still signs of her previous isolation in the way the singer kept her knees held tightly against her chest rather than the cross-legged posture that Aries had collapsed into on top of the bed, but Yun-Hua definitely looked better with a small smile on her face.

With a pretend-angry pout, Aries reached out for her drink. "Give me that. It's not my fault I have a cat's teeth. Where did this drink come from anyway?"

Yun-Hua handed the mug back to the pinkette and took another sip before answering, "I found it in the suitcase where I kept my night clothes. I packed it separately from the rest of the snacks I brought to the trip in case I wanted a late night drink. It comes in a large pack, so I left the remaining sachets in the kitchen for the rest of the group to enjoy. Oh, and it's a cat's _tongue_."

The two girls proceeded to slowly drain their drinks as they revelled in the taste of home. A conversation naturally sprung up about their favourite foods and drinks. Aries and her large appetite had sampled most of the shops in the school district and she invited Yun-Hua out on a food tour when they made it back home. Yun-Hua's celebrity parentage meant that she had eaten food catered from a variety of high-class establishments and her description of the various luxurious dishes left Aries drooling into a pillow.

They also shared their stories of what it was like to stand out from the rest of their class. Aries had quickly earned a place as the class ditz and couldn't stop attracting attention with the various escapades she clumsily fell into. Yun-Hua, even without her mother's identity becoming public knowledge, had often attracted attention for her height and the large chest puberty had gifted her with.

After an hour of small talk, Yun-Hua decided to broach the sensitive subject. "So Aries, Quitterie didn't tell us what happened in detail out of respect to your privacy, but do you want to share what went wrong?"

Aries hesitated for a moment, her gaze dipping to the blanket, but she wasn't the type to hide secrets from her friends. "Um … I did _try_ to ask Kanata if he had anyone – anyone special – waiting for him back home, but he just didn't seem to understand why I was asking. He had that cute, goofy grin of his plastered all over his face, and then he just bragged about how friendly he was with all the girls at his school! Like it was nothing!"

Aries didn't notice that her hands had started kneading her pillow to release her excess frustration, but as the words poured out she suddenly paused and held up the pillow like a shield in front of her.

"Is it my fault that he didn't understand what I was trying to say? Maybe this is just some silly crush because he saved my life. Are my feelings too shallow to be real and that's why I couldn't get my feelings across to him?

"What if … what if he doesn't find me attractive and that was just his way of turning me down?"

Aries' voice trailed off in a depressed mumble and tears began welling up in her eyes. With the pinkette's gaze directed at the blanket, Aries didn't see Yun-Hua draw closer, but she soon felt the singer's arms wrap around her shoulders and a hand comfortingly stroke the back of her hair.

"It's going to be okay Aries. I don't believe that it's your fault the confession failed and there is nothing wrong with the feelings you have for Kanata. For all Kanata's strengths that you can't help admiring, he has plenty of weaknesses. He's impulsive, brash, and very blunt. While these make it easier for him to reach out to someone when they're in need of help, you can't deny that Kanata can also be insensitive, childish, and more than a bit dense. So while I can't read Kanata's mind, I'm pretty sure that he genuinely didn't notice what you were trying to say.

"You need to have more confidence in yourself Aries. You're an attractive young lady with an hourglass figure, a pretty face, and an adorable personality. If you can ask him directly, I'm sure that Kanata will feel very lucky to become your boyfriend."

Yun Hua's comforting words lifted Aries' flagging spirit. Aries looked up to thank Yun-Hua with a smile, but she found herself buried in the singer's heavy chest. Absentmindedly, she noted that Yun-Hua apparently went to sleep without a bra. The pinkette snapped out of this observation with a startled "Eep!" and her eyes slammed shut.

Aries tried to stand in order to put some distance between her face and Yun-Hua's thinly covered breasts. However as Aries rose to her knees, the blanket slid beneath her and she lost her footing. With her arms flailing, Aries fell forward onto the bed, pushing Yun-Hua down with a shared yelp of surprise.

As they fell Aries' head buried itself deeper into the singer's cleavage as Yun-Hua's arms, still wrapped around the pinkette in a hug, instinctively pulled her closer. In that moment, the zipper that had bravely held shut the cloth straining to cover Yun-Hua's large assets lost its grip and fell, and when Aries opened her eyes once more she found herself glued to an expanse of milky white flesh.

Aries would have loved to die out of sheer embarrassment right then and there, but she had to settle for a muffled moan of shame.

Yun-Hua had just recovered from the surprise of the fall, when Aries' moan sent a vibration rippling through her breasts. She looked down to see the pinkette's head buried into her cleavage, and from this position Yun-Hua could also see the red blush colouring Aries' ears. She felt a wicked smirk rise up on her face, and she couldn't resist the urge to tease Aries just a bit.

"Well this shows what can happen when you just have a bit of confidence. What are you planning to do now that you've pushed me down, Aries? With all the ways in which this trip has gone wrong, it's a bit of a relief that at least one tradition has been properly revived on this adventure."

It might sometimes feel like years since the crew of the Astra had all first set foot on Planet McPa as eight strangers expecting a few days of the traditional extra-planetary camping experience. However all those expectations had been thrown out the window the instant that glowing orb had teleported them into space. Since then, the group of teenagers had been forced to mature quickly, but they were still young men and women.

One of the traditions of the camp was the rumour that this trip was one of the best opportunities in a teenager's life to lose their virginity. When you consider the fact that eight high school students were left alone on a planet without any adult supervision, the lewd gossip of what could happen during the trip wasn't that unbelievable. Medical science had progressed to the point where sexually transmitted illnesses were a thing of the past, and with adult help just an embarrassing call away, the camp was often considered the best place for a teenager to explore their first sexual experiences.

Judging from the deep shade of red that Aries' ears had reached, it appeared that she had heard the same rumours. Yun-Hua couldn't keep herself from smiling at the pinkette's embarrassment. Though they might be the same age, Yun-Hua had been exposed to a more worldly view of sex due to a first-hand account of her mother's dalliances over the years. While a childhood under the neglectful parentage of famed celebrity Lucy Lum may have left Yun-Hua with a very low sense of self-esteem, she had at least learnt from her mother's example that sex was a natural part of life and something to celebrate rather than stigmatize. Yun-Hua may not have had anyone close enough to share such an intimate relationship with, but things had changed since then.

Yun-Hua took a moment to consider her next course of action. It seemed impulsive to go through with what she was now tempted to do, but her initial intentions on coming here tonight were to help Aries with her problems, and this could certainly provide the pinkette with the confidence needed to press her pursuit of Kanata. The singer took one arm from the hold she had around Aries' shoulders and administered a gentle caress that contained a very different intention from the soothing strokes performed earlier.

Yun Hua asked, "Aries, would you like to become more than just friends? I think it could be fun for the both of us and the experience will help if you decide to get more intimate with Kanata on the way home."

The pinkette stilled for a moment to process Yun-Hua's offer. Yun-Hua stopped her ministrations to avoid pressuring Aries into accepting, but after a short period of time Aries gave a shy nod. Yun-Hua's heart thumped with a mixture of excitement and lust. It was thrilling to finally have a friend that she could trust with her body and she hadn't been flattering Aries when she had called the pinkette attractive. Aries always had a kind word and a smile ready for anyone she met, and for a lonely sapling that had been raised in the cold shadow of a towering tree, Aries' compassion was like a warm beam of sunshine.

Yun-Hua carefully rolled over Aries until their positions were reversed, with Aries pinned between the singer's body and the bed. Yun-Hua took a moment to appreciate the expression painted on Aries' face. Her wide eyes contained a look of trepidation mixed with curiosity and her plump red lips were slightly parted as if on the verge of asking a question.

Knowing an opportunity when she saw one, Yun-Hua dipped her head and claimed Aries' lips with a gentle kiss. The soft pressure felt as their lips met sent an instinctive frisson of pleasure into both girls. Aries seemed hesitant, her lips slightly trembling as if unsure of whether they should be moving or staying still. However Yun-Hua was more confident and her tongue pressed forward, parting the pinkette's weakened guard.

As the singer's tongue invaded Aries' mouth, her own tongue reacted, meeting the intruder in a short exchange. However Yun-Hua's tongue proved just as skilled at kissing as it was as singing and it soon dominated its opponent, leaving the pinkette's tongue paralyzed as it began to explore the rest of Aries' mouth. Yun-Hua's deep kiss left no corner of Aries' mouth untouched before it attacked the spots that the singer had identified as provoking the best reactions. These unfamiliar sensations sparked fireworks in the confines of Aries's head.

When the two finally parted for air, both girls were panting for breath and Aries' eyes were glazed over with pleasure. Yun-Hua smiled, proud at the effect her kiss had on the other girl, and she raised up her body until she was in a kneeling position with both legs on either side of Aries' hips. She pulled the compliant Aries into a sitting position before pulling off the pinkette's sleeping shirt. This revealed a cute pink sports bra with a ribbon that held up Aries' impressive bust. Though the size of her breasts was dwarfed by Yun-Hua's own well-developed chest, each orb was a bountiful handful of soft and nubile flesh.

As Yun-Hua reached to unclasp the front hook of the bra, Aries was unable to suppress the urge to cross her arms in embarrassment. A fresh wave of shame hit Aries and she bent forward in an attempt to hide her slight chubbiness, but Yun-Hua noticed her embarrassment and gave her a comforting smile. The singer then bent forward, and with her lips next to Aries' ear, she said, "Don't worry Aries. There's a lot we can do without you needing to take the rest of your clothes off. We can take it slow if you want."

The cool breath hitting Aries' hot ear sent another shiver of pleasure down her spine and bolstered her confidence and desire. With an internal cry of determination, Aries straightened her spine and her arms dropped away from her chest. Without the cover of her crossed arms, her pale skin, lightly freckled from a day in the sun, was bathed in the light of the room. However this left her sides unprotected and unprepared for the swift pair of hands that slipped into the opening and began tickling her armpits.

"Fu hee hee hee!"

Aries couldn't help the giggles that exploded from her mouth as she tried to twist away from Yun-Hua's wriggling fingertips. As she began to run out of breath, Yun-Hua paused her assault, but the momentary reprieve was soon retracted and the tickling renewed. However this times Aries was prepared, and while she might not be able to escape with Yun-Hua's weight on her hips pinning her down, she could initiate a counter-attack. Soon Yun-Hua's own melodic laughter joined Aries' spritely giggles and the two began to wrestle each other in a war of tickling.

The two girls soon agreed to a truce before either could lose control of their bladder, but this left the two struggling to breathe while in a sweaty and intimate embrace. Aries' body lay on top of Yun-Hua with her arms circling the singer's waist. While the singer hugged the pinkette's shoulders, pressing Aries' head into the crook of Yun-Hua's neck. The impromptu tickle-fight had accomplished its goal of removing the last of the awkwardness between the two girls.

Aries, in a return to her usual distractibility, had regained some of her regular cheery optimism and took the lead for the first time in their tryst. The kiss she placed on Yun-Hua's lips was clumsy, and almost led to their teeth clashing, but Aries made up for it with enthusiasm as she began to pepper Yun-Hua's neck with light kisses running down its length. The singer responded to the sensation of soft lips nibbling and sucking on her sensitive skin with a moan of pleasure. Yun-Hua wasn't the type of lover to remain passive however, and it soon showed as one hand began stroking down the pinkette's back and the other reached around to massage the side Aries' right breast.

Aries' nerves were still over-stimulated from the tickling and as Yun-Hua's hand crossed a sensitive patch of skin located over her tailbone, it sent a jolt of pleasure into her core that left her legs shaking. Yun-Hua felt the weakening of her resistance and the hand at Aries's chest stretched forward to grope the peak of her breast, playing with the nipple that was visibly poking through the thin cloth of Aries' sports bra.

The dual sensations of pleasure on both her upper and lower body drove Aries to the verge of an orgasm, but she smothered her moans into Yun-Hua's neck and tried to regain her composure. Refusing to give in so easily, Aries slid down Yun-Hua's front until her head was at the singer's chest. Her lips then clamped down on the singer's right nipple while her hand began to roll the other nipple between a thumb and index finger. The sweet cries of pleasure that the singer let loose made it clear that Aries had discovered a weak point. Aries made sure to get her revenge as her tongue rapidly flicked the nipple captured in her mouth as her hand began alternating between groping as much of the mammary as it could grasp and focussing on tweaking the nipple.

Yun-Hua was caught unprepared in the face of this attack and her cries continued to rise in pitch until she reached her climax with a loud and passionate shout of joy that thrust her chest into Aries' face. The moment passed and Yun-Hua fell back to the bed, eyes closed and with a smile on her panting face. Aries took a moment to calm her own racing heart. She had been acting more on instinct than conscious thought, so she took a moment to appreciate the results of her first inexperienced attempts at foreplay.

From this close perspective Aries had of Yun-Hua, she admired in detail the sexiness that the singer seemed to constantly exude now that the walls isolating Yun-Hua away from the world had dropped. The school swimsuit that she wore earlier that day had been sexy enough, with the blue cloth clinging tightly to her curves and the ripe flesh spilling out invitingly from the sides, but seeing her splayed out on the bed with her chest bared to the world created a more vulnerable allure.

The rivulets of sweat running down Yun-Hua's skin left eye-catching glossy streaks reflecting the room's light. A forearm had been raised to cover the singer's eyes, but the wind-tossed look of her newly shorn hair and the trail of saliva leaking from the corner of her open mouth showed that she had yet to recover from the orgasm. Yun-Hua's sweaty breasts splayed outwards from the middle of her chest under their own heavy weight, shaking invitingly with each deep breath, and the right breast still carried the slowly fading red marks of Aries' fingerprints.

The evidence of Yun-Hua's pleasure filled Aries with a surge of pride, but the involuntary yawn that escaped her mouth reminded her that it was time to get to sleep if they wanted to get an early start tomorrow. Aries turned to sit on the edge of her bed and picked up the shirt that had been divested from her body earlier. Then a sultry voice called out from behind her, "We're not done yet Aries. Our first night together can't end without you cumming as well."

Aries didn't have time to turn before she was pounced on by Yun-Hua. It seemed that the singer had learned her lesson from the last round, because Aries soon found herself lying face-down on the bed with her arms pinned behind her by Yun-Hua's weight. Unable to resist, Aries felt Yun-Hua's arms reach around her body despite her half-hearted attempts to wriggle free. One handed slipped underneath the pinkette's bra to begin molesting her breasts while the other ventured into untouched territory as it slipped past the loose elastic band of her shorts.

The pleasure of having Yun-Hua's fingertips circle the bare skin of her areola distracted Aries from noticing the other hand's destination before it was too late. The first touch from below came as such a shock of pleasure that her reaction was delayed and it took a few seconds before Aries began to squirm in pleasure. As Yun-Hua's fingers began to trace the outline of her slit, made damp by sweat and other liquids, Aries felt as if a fire had been stoked in her loins. Her waist jerked forward as the pinkette tried to lean into Yun-Hua's teasing fingers, which seemed to avoid stronger pressure in favour of exploring Aries' entire vagina from top to bottom.

Aries' hips bucked upwards in dissatisfaction, but Yun-Hua was merciless and the singer's hand began to exert more strength groping the pinkette's breasts, twisting at the nipple whenever Aries tried to move. This left Aries trapped, unable to respond, and groaning into the mattress in agonizing pleasure. Eventually, Yun-Hua seemed to take mercy on the pinkette and two fingers spread Aries' virgin lips as a third began to stir her inner folds. Aries minded was overcome with such a haze of desire that if she had been able to speak, she would surely have uttered pleas for release.

As Aries drew closer and closer to the absolute tipping point, Yun-Hua removed her hand from Aries' breasts. This reduced the pressure on Aries' upper body and the pinkette's own hands quickly moved to replace Yun-Hua's wandering appendage in a primal race for satisfaction. Before Aries could bring herself to an orgasm, Yun-Hua's newly freed hand reached into Aries' shorts. She slowly peeled back the skin covering the pinkette's clitoris and then she stimulated the nub of sensitive nerve endings with rapid circular motions. An exhilarated cry erupted from Aries' lips and left her winded. The powerful orgasm had washed Aries' mind blank of all thoughts and she soon lost consciousness after that final burst of pleasure.

Yun-Hua's mouth wore an evil smile as she rose from the bed, satisfied with her reciprocation. With a curious look, Yun-Hua tentatively sucked on the fingertips that had explored Aries' pussy. The taste of her juices was sweet and fruity, so Yun-Hua couldn't help but comment with a smile. "You taste just as sweet as you look, Aries. Which shouldn't really be a surprise, I suppose."

She then took a moment to straighten her hair and wipe away the sweat from her brow. Her jacket was once again zipped close, with only a slight struggle as it passed over her chest, and looking presentable once more, she headed back to her room for the night. Before the door closed, she looked back at the sleeping Aries and said, "If you do end up sleeping with Kanata, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to show how grateful I am to the both of you."

With that parting comment the door closed behind her. Soon afterwards the room's automatic sensor detected that its inhabitant was asleep and shut off the room's light, leaving Aries to a peaceful night's sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_This scene takes place sometime after the end of Chapter Twenty-four. The sight of Kanata falling into the water to save Ulgar and Luca prompts Aries to take action out of fear that one day it might just be too late._

Aries hovered anxiously outside the door to Kanata's room. It was late at night, about an hour after the boy's bath time had ended, and she was still debating with herself about her current recklessness. She was on the verge of scrapping her plans entirely and running back to her room, but Yun-Hua's words echoed in her ears.

'You need to have more confidence in yourself Aries. You're an attractive young lady with an hourglass figure, a pretty face, and an adorable personality. If you can ask him directly, I'm sure that Kanata will feel very lucky to become your boyfriend.'

Aries drew a deep breath and suddenly brought her hands up to her cheeks with a loud slap. Though her cheeks were red and stinging from the pain, her yellow and green eyes shone bright with determination as she reached out to knock on the door.

After a short wait, Kanata's sleepy voice drifted out of the room, "Who is it?"

Aries almost lost her voice as she struggled to respond, but after taking another breath to calm her nerves, she managed to stutter, "K-k-kanata! It's me! Aries!"

"Aries?" Kanata asked, "What are you doing here so late at night? Do you need to come in?"

Aries nodded her head quickly before she realized that Kanata couldn't actually see her. She almost shouted out the words, "Yes! Please!"

After a few seconds Kanata slid the door open and welcomed Aries in with a lazy wave of his hand. However Aries just stood there, frozen in place, at the sudden revelation that Kanata went to sleep without a shirt. Her eyes were glued to the masculine figure of his bare torso, tracing the hard lines of his toned abdomen before falling to linger on the small patch of coarse hair trailing into the loose waistband of his grey sweatpants.

A wide yawn split Kanata's jaws. His dark hair was still slightly damp from the bath and his usual vibrant aura was dampened after the tiring day that they all had faced with the sudden flooding. He wiped away the tears that the yawn brought to his eyes as he turned to go and take a seat on top of his rumpled bedspread. It looked as if Aries' knocking had distracted Kanata from falling asleep.

As Kanata turned away, Aries snapped out of her fugue. With her cheeks burning red and her lips slightly parted, it was lucky for her that the yawn had led Kanata to miss her embarrassing expression. Taking the opportunity to suppress her ardour, Aries gulped and stiffly followed behind Kanata, closing the door behind her.

When Aries reached the centre of the room she hesitated over a sudden dilemma. She could pull up the chair from Kanata's desk, or she could risk doing something more daring. Before she could change her mind, Aries quickly skipped over to Kanata's side of the room and perched down on the other end of the bed.

Kanata was puzzled as to why Aries had chosen to sit beside him if they were planning to have a conversation, but he didn't mind sharing his bed. However the distance between the two would make it awkward to speak, so he patted the spot beside him and invited her over.

"I don't mind if you sit beside me Aries."

Aries blushed bright red at Kanata's call and after some fidgeting she shuffled closer until there was only an arms-length between the two young teenagers. Her cheeks were flushed and her shoulders hunched as she shyly stared down at her twiddling thumbs. Dressed only in a pink night shirt and short puffy pants, Aries looked especially cute tonight. If it wasn't for the full figure showing through the lines of her loose clothing, she might appear to be a young child.

Staring down at the top of her bowed head, Kanata felt a sudden urge to pull her closer and bury his face into her long, red locks of hair.

While Kanata was suppressing this strange impulse, Aries was gathering the courage to speak. After worrying at her bottom lip for a few seconds, she quietly whispered, "… please be more careful."

Kanata almost missed the fact that Aries had said anything, but he caught the end of her mumble. He leaned in closer to ask, "I'm sorry Aries, did you say something?"

He was not prepared for Aries to suddenly turn and throw herself onto him. Luckily for both of them they were sitting on a bed as Kanata fell backwards and instinctively wrapped his arms around the soft body pressing against him. Shaking off his surprise, Kanata tried to ask Aries what was wrong, but his words went unsaid as he noticed Aries' shoulders were shaking in his embrace.

Keeping his silence, Kanata showed an uncharacteristic amount of tactfulness as he patiently waited for Aries to regain her composure. As teardrops began falling onto his chest Kanata soothed the girly crying in his arms with gentle pats on her back.

After her sobs ran their course, Aries lifted her head and looked up into Kanata's eyes. With tears still running down her cheeks, her soft pink lips trembled as she began to speak.

"I was so worried about you! When you dived out of the ship like that, I almost jumped out after you. I know how brave and selfless you are, but you could have gotten hurt doing something so reckless!

"You could have died.

"If the worst happened, I'm not sure what I would do without you. I don't think I could go on. Please promise me you won't do anything so risky again?" Aries pleaded with Kanata, staring up at him her large tearful eyes.

Kanata almost blurted out the first response that rose to his lips in the hopes of comforting her, but the serious look on Aries' face prompted him to stop and reconsider. The usually ditzy girl hadn't stumbled once during her tirade and her colourful eyes seemed able to penetrate his thoughts as she waited for his response. So rather than shout out a hot-blooded refusal to back down from any danger or an insincere promise to take greater care of himself, Kanata tried to convey the voice of his heart.

His arms tightened comfortingly around Aries' shoulders as he softly began to speak, "I know what it is like to feel scared and helpless when you see someone else risking their life, so I understand where you're coming from.

"Do you remember when I told you about the mountain where I lost my teacher? When he first left the rest of the class in a safe place to go chase down a friend that had run off, I remember wanting to scream at him to come back. Part of it was that I didn't want to be left alone, but I was also worried about him running back into danger.

"We ended up following behind him and we caught up just as he pulled our friend away from a collapsing cliff, losing his footing as he did. I tried to reach out and grab him, but I was too weak to get a firm grip on his damp clothes.

"The next moment has haunted my dreams for years.

"I see my hands reaching out to grab his sleeve. I see his arm slipping free. I see him falling backwards off the cliff with a smile on his face as he looks back at his students.

"At that moment, I hated him for dying.

"However I hated myself even more. Why was I so weak? Why was I so helpless? Why couldn't I reach out and save him like he saved us?

"I was the first to snap out of the shock and realize that crying by the cliffside wouldn't save us. I pushed away the pain and tried to get the others working together to find some shelter where we could wait for rescue. It was hard getting everyone to work together. I wasn't a very good leader, still aren't if I'm being honest, but I had an excellent example to copy even if it wasn't genuine.

"We had almost lost all hope when we were finally found by the rescue team. Once all five of us had returned to the city, I wasn't sure if it was all a dream. Part of me had believed that once we were rescued, everything would be alright again, but all I could feel was the aching absence of the man who was more of a father to me than my own could ever be.

"As I was about to break down, it felt like someone had called out my name. I looked around to see who had called me, but all I could see where the other survivors of the disaster crying into the arms of their grateful parents who were murmuring soft prayers of thanks at their children's safe return. As I continued watching their joyful families, I finally realized that this is why our teacher risked his life. If he were there on that day he would have been overjoyed to see all his students safe and sound.

"Once I understood what his sacrifice had bought, I could no longer blame him for running into danger. On that day I vowed to myself that I would make the most of the chance he gave us. He wouldn't want his death to be remembered as a tragedy, so in his memory I inherited his dream and explore the unknown with a spaceship of my own. All so that I can proudly say, it his sacrifice that allowed me to get where I am today.

"I don't have a death-wish. I want to live long enough to fulfil my dream. However as long as I have the ability to save someone's life I have to try. Everybody deserves the opportunity to make the most of their life. Risking my own to give someone that chance is more than a fair price to pay. Even if I lose my life in the process, I will be living up to the example that my teacher set for me and that is something that I can be proud of.

"So even if you ask me to be careful … I'm sorry Aries, but I can't make that promise."

As Kanata's explanation wound to a close, Aries buried her face back into Kanata's chest. If he couldn't see her face, then she might be able to pretend to have heard nothing.

Kanata smiled fondly at her reaction and patted her head like he was comforting a sulky child.

While she listened to sound of Kanata's beating heart, Aries wrestled with the emotions roiling in the pit of her stomach. She knew that her request had been selfish and that Kanata was someone who always followed his principles, but Aries had desperately wanted to claim at least a fraction of that endless drive and determination for herself. She couldn't wait any longer, vainly hoping that he would notice her affection, or it might just be too late.

Feeling a surge of determination rising inside her and breaking through the morass of guilt and self-doubt, Aries' spirits rose to the challenge as she decided to confess her feelings.

Unfortunately, her head also rose in response to her stirring emotions and cracked Kanata sharply on his chin. Twin yelps of pain were heard as Kanata fell backwards with stars in his eyes and Aries' hands rose to clutch the bump on her aching head. For a moment the two teens were distracted by the pain, but as the discomfort faded away Kanata began to laugh at the silliness of the accident. Soon Aries was giggling along as well. It hadn't been particularly funny, but after the tension of the past few moments it felt good to simply laugh.

Aries recovered first from her giggling. She would not allow the accident to distract her from her confession. Before Kanata could rise from the bed, Aries crawled over to take a seat on top of his thighs. The surprise from her actions prompted Kanata to try and raise his body, but he was stopped in his tracks as Aries pushed him back down.

Trying her best to adopt a sultry tone, Aries whispered, "It's time for your award Kanata."

"Award? Do you mean reward? I don't think there's anything you need to reward me for."

Aries smiled at the puzzled look on Kanata's face and said, "Of course there is. You've saved Ulgar from the flood. You've saved Funicia from falling. You found the cure to the poisonous mushrooms. …you even saved me from dying alone in space.

"You deserve a huge reward for being such a good boy.

In a throaty voice that lingered lovingly on every word, she ordered Kanata, "Now, just stay still."

Before Kanata could renew his protests, he was struck dumb as Aries pulled down the loose waistband of his pants to reveal his large and flaccid penis.

Aries' eyes shone with curiosity at the sight. It was the first time she had seen a male's genitalia in real life and she thought it looked far less threatening than in the pictures. She gently lifted the rod of flesh into her hand and began running her fingers along the loose skin, tracing the blue veins that circled its girth.

Kanata bit his lip and tried not to react to her touch, but it was a hopeless effort. His penis began to twitch and stand to attention.

He managed to stammer, "A-Aries! Wait! You don't have to do this. I helped you because I wanted to, not because I expected you to do - do this!"

Tearing her gaze away from the cute tube of flesh trembling in her hands, Aries looked into Kanata's eyes with a smile on her face and said, "But I want to Kanata! Now just sit back and enjoy this. It might be my first time, but what could go wrong?"

She looked back down at his rapidly growing member and focussed on the task at hand. While one hand stroked down his lengthening shaft, her other hand peeled back the foreskin away from the tip of his penis. Kanata released a muffled groan from between his clenched teeth at the pleasure running through his veins from her inexperienced handjob. Using the soft pad of her fingers, Aries teased out further sounds of pleasure from Kanata's lips as she played with the sensitive head. Precum began to flow down from the eager tip, running into her hands and covering them with a slick film.

Once his penis reached full mast, with its girth barely fitting in her grip, Aries slid down Kanata's prone body. With a mischievous upturn of her eyes, Aries slowly bent over, giving Kanata a clear view into the loose neckline of her shirt and revealing that she had come here tonight without putting on a bra. Kanata flushed at the enticing sight and had to gulp loudly as his throat was feeing strangely dry.

After giving Kanata a few more seconds to enjoy the show, Aries lowered her head and took the head of his penis into the soft hollow of her mouth. Gently sealing her lips around the shaft, she gave his knob a few exploratory licks of her tongue. The warm pressure of Aries mouth around his dick sent a rush of pleasure running up Kanata's spine and he was forced to grip the bed sheets in a tight grip to avoid moving his hips.

Savouring Kanata's musky taste, Aries found that the flavour of precum was strange but not entirely unpleasant. It also aroused a burning sensation in her loins that made her want to sample more of his thick fluids. Aries slowly began to bob her head up and down, sucking gently and carefully taking in more of his long shaft with each drop of her head.

As the tip of his dick began to brush the back of Aries' throat, Kanata found that he could no longer resist his burning desires. His hips jerked upwards, driving his hard cock deep into Aries' soft throat.

Luckily Aries had been practising with a few phallic shaped vegetables that the crew of the Astra had found and easily took his long shaft down her tight oesophagus. However the sudden thrust had surprised her and Astra instinctively gagged to try and expel the blockage. The muscles of her slim throat coiled tightly around Kanata's long shaft and inadvertently took him even deeper.

Kanata barely managed to gasp out a warning before blowing his load into Aries mouth.

"I'm cumming!"

The warning came too late for Aries to release his dick. The eruption of jizz poured down her throat with a few dregs spilling from the corners of her lips as Kanata's hips fell back onto the bed and pulled his dripping length free of her lips. Aries quickly shut her mouth before any more of his seed could escape.

Aries swilled the sticky liquid in her mouth for a few seconds, then she closed her eyes and swallowed the thick fluid. Once her mouth was clear of Kanata's semen, Aries gasped for air. Her small red tongue flickered out from between her red lips and licked away the white traces around her mouth.

Kanata was still recovering from his climax when Aries finally caught her breath, but he was quickly distracted from the afterglow when he felt her tongue lick his drooping length clean of the remaining ejaculation. His member quickly responded to her ministrations and recovered its vigour, standing straight and tall.

At the sight of his eager manhood, Kanata began to feel embarrassed at his continued passivity. It was one thing to turn away undeserved gratitude, but refusing to respond to a woman's seduction was simply cowardly. Overcoming his hesitance to take advantage of Aries, he decided that as a man he should at least repay the favour.

Reaching down he grabbed Aries by the armpits and lifted her away from his crotch. Aries's full-bodied figure wasn't exactly light, but with Kanata's well-trained strength it was easy to bear her weight. Trying to set aside the soft sensation of her breasts grazing his wrists, Kanata pulled her up and rolled over so that he was now lying on top of her.

Apart from an initial squeal of surprise, Aries showed no resistance to Kanata taking control. As she lay pinned beneath him, Aries looked up with a face that still bore the traces of the blowjob she had performed on him. Her eyes avoided Kanata's out of embarrassment, but she bared her neck to him in a gesture of submission that invited him to do as he willed with her.

Kanata's face was flushed a dark red and his eyes were wild with lust. The white scar on the bridge of his nose was particularly noticeable against the rest of his face. Now that he had her in this position, he wasn't sure what to do, but instincts from deep inside of him were screaming for action.

The last threads of hesitance in Kanata's mind were broken when Aries took a deep breath to settle her racing heart. Her thinly-covered breasts shook with the motion of her chest and stretched the tight confines of her shirt. With his eyes drawn to the two large globes that were pressing outwards against his wrist, Kanata could no longer resist the temptation to sample what Aries had kept hidden.

When Kanata wrapped his hands around the two soft mounds of flesh, a soft moan spilled out from Aries' lips. Embarrassed by the sensitivity of her breasts, Aries blushed an even darker shade of red and bit her lips to stop any more sounds from escaping.

Kanata didn't mind her reaction and was even encouraged by the sound. He began groping her breasts, marvelling at the way his hands sunk into the springy orbs while trying to avoid exerting too much strength. Aries remained stubbornly silent as he groped her chest, but the sinuous way she squirmed beneath him and rubbed her thighs together proved that his touch was having an effect on her.

Eventually his curiosity grew, and when Kanata lifted the hem of her shirt, Aries obediently raised her arms for him to take it off. Her large breasts were laid bare and Kanata could not recall a more enticing sight. The lustrous pale skin of her two round orbs almost seemed to glow in the room's lighting. A few freckles sprinkled the bare skin of her torso as a result of the sunbathing earlier that day, but the small imperfections made her appear all the more beautiful.

Her small pink nipples stood out against the paleness of her chest and their slight swelling betrayed Aries' arousal. Attracted to the sight of these small nubs of flesh, Kanata bent his head and began to suckle on one of them. Aries' silence was finally broken as she gasped at the sensation and she cried out in pleasure as Kanata began to tease her other nipple by rolling it between his fingers.

Aries' cries only grew louder as Kanata's foreplay progressed. His lips and teeth gently worried at the tip of the breast caught in his mouth as if he was truly trying to suck out her milk. His hand continued to play distractedly with her other breast, pulling it up by the sensitive nipple before allowing it to bounce back down.

When Aries began to lean forward, thrusting more of her chest into his face, Kanata intensified his assault. Sucking more of her areolae into his mouth, he quickly flicked his tongue over the sensitive bud, sending an electric current of pleasure running through Aries' head. His pawing at her other breast grew rougher, drawing out deeper moans of pleasure. Sinking his fingers into the soft flesh, he moulded the smooth globe into his palm and tested its pliancy.

Eventually Aries reached her limit. She threw her head back in a loud scream of ecstasy and pressed her whole body against Kanata's as she convulsed from the orgasm. Kanata detached himself from her breasts and drew back so that he could get a good look at the results of his work.

The flush on Aries' face had spread in a healthy pink glow to the rest of the body and the exposed skin of her bare chest and stomach rippled enticingly as she panted for air. The orgasm had left her whole body glistening damply with sweat, but her left breast in particularly reflected the light strongly as it was drenched with Kanata's saliva. The red marks on her right breast that matched his handprint left Kanata feeling a bit guilty, but he could tell that it wouldn't bruise and Aries certainly seemed to have enjoyed the experience.

However the night wasn't over yet. As Aries laid limply on the bed, Kanata lifted her waist and pulled off her cotton pants. When the hem of the pants was pulled down to her knees, it was revealed that Aries had also neglected to wear any panties tonight. Kanata was treated to the sight of Aries bare mound that was glistening with sweat and other fluids. Her puffy lower lips had peeled away from her core due to her arousal and Kanata could see that she was ready to receive him from the thin strings of fluid that stretched across her entrance.

During the stripping of her pants, Aries was still recovering from the high of her orgasm. Once she returned from the pleasant state of blankness that she had fallen into, Aries realized that her lower half was totally exposed. It was one thing to show off her chest, but it was another thing entirely for Kanata to see everything going on in her vagina.

When she was shaving herself during her bath with the aid of a mirror, she had thought the wrinkled lips of her labia looked weird, and now the boy that she liked was looking right at it! Her thighs clamped shut and her hands covered her face as her cheeks burned with mortification.

Kanata was puzzled by Aries' withdrawal. If she felt that they were going too far, he was willing to back off, but Aries didn't seem to want to leave just yet. From the way she was awkwardly wriggling, she seemed to be struggling internally over a personal issue. When Kanata noticed that, despite all her movement, Aries was still keeping her legs firmly tucked in to shield her crotch from his view, a light-bulb went off in his head.

With an amused smile on his face, Kanata leaned down to speak into Aries' ear, "Are you embarrassed?"

Aries flinched at the question and shook her head in a fluster, but the red colour rising on the tip of her ears gave away the lie.

Kanata felt a sense of amusement and some relief. Despite the aggressiveness that Aries had shown tonight, it appeared that she was still the same ditzy yet perceptive young woman he had gotten to know over the course of the adventure. A beautiful klutz who seemed just as contradictory as her two-toned eyes. Who else would be brave enough to pull his pants down before turning around and hiding her face in embarrassment when the same thing happened to her?

As he looked down at the beauty curled up in his bed, Kanata was surprised to find that the fondness he felt when thinking of Aries might actually be love. Looking back on their time together, he could see that Aries had wormed her way into his heart and he could not bear to think of what life on the Astra might have been without her. It seemed slightly foolish to only discover this after they had gone so far, but Kanata decided that it was better late than never.

Kanata tried to coax Aries out of her shell.

"You're beautiful Aries," he said. "In fact, you're perfect. From the top of your head to the tip of your toes, you have nothing to be ashamed about. You've made this night an experience that I will never forget and I can't imagine anyone else I would rather be with."

Leaning in closer until his lips were touching her ear, Kanata whispered, "I love you."

Aries turned into stone at his confession. She didn't even seem to be breathing. Then suddenly the hands covering her face snapped open and she stared at Kanata with wide open eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't seem to find the words. Helplessly, she raised one finger and pointed it to her nose.

"Yes. You."

A stunning smile rose to Aries face and she lunged at Kanata, wrapping her arms around his broad chest. Kanata returned the embrace and bent his head to lay a kiss on the top of her messy hair. The two young lovers felt their shared feelings of love and acceptance emanate through the touch of each other's skin.

Eventually Aries broke the hug and sank bank down to bed. Her eyes were wide and sparkling as she looked up at him.

In a soft voice, she whispered, "I'm ready."

While still slightly trembling, her legs pated, allowing Kanata to press against her. Aries licked at her lips nervously, but there was a determined set to her face as she invited Kanata in with a smile.

Kanata gulped, his own tension at the prospect of losing his virginity starting to rise. However with the inspiration of the breath-taking masterpiece that was Aries' naked body, his libido gave him all the motivation he needed to continue. Placing a hand on either side of Aries' shoulders, Kanata slowly lowered himself down onto her. It took him a few tries to get his lower head lined up to her entrance, but soon the tip of his cock was kissing her slick outer folds.

As the young lovers looked deeply into each other's eyes, Aries' arms rose and Kanata gripped her hands for moral support. Kanata's hips slowly sank as Aries allowed him to enter her sacred place.

When he was only part of the way in Kanata felt resistance barring his way further. Aries recognized what that feeling meant. She closed her eyes and with a nod she gave Kanata permission to continue. Then, as gently as he could, Kanata broke through the barrier of Aries' maidenhood.

Despite the mental preparation, Aries couldn't help the pained gasp she let out as the sharp sting of losing her virginity tore through her. So far the feeling of Kanata's dick intruding into her untouched womb had felt strange, but it was accompanied by a pleasant fullness that she had never before experienced. However with the breaking of her hymen, all Aries could think about was how much it hurt.

Luckily Kanata noticed her pained expression, having half-expected it to happen, and he stopped himself from going further as he waited for her to adjust. The warm hold of the walls of her pussy constricting around his penis had awoken a desire to sink himself into her depths, but he wanted their first time to be enjoyable for Aries as well. Thinking quickly, Kanata came up with a good distraction from her pain.

Bending his head down, Kanata kissed Aries' furrowed brow to comfort her and then he planted a firm kiss on her lips. Aries' eyes snapped open as she felt the soft touch of his lips on hers. The shock of the kiss was enough to distract her from the pain for a moment. Aries parted her lips and threw herself deeply into the kiss, passionately entwining his tongue with hers. Kanata had no objections and soon the two young lovers were revelling in the heat of their first kiss.

Now that Aries was sufficiently distracted, Kanata saw that it was time to continue. He carefully withdrew to the entrance of her of her vagina, wrestling free from the suction that sought to keep him in place. Aries felt the movement below, but made no move to protest as he slid through the tight vice of her womanhood. Her kiss grew even fiercer and a slight taste of blood filled their mouths when Aries accidentally scratched Kanata's bottom lip with her teeth.

Kanata began to rock slowly in place, giving Aries time to adjust to his movements. As he slid in and out, he could feel her inner folds adjusting to the shape of his cock, loosening slightly and allowing him to sink even further into her velvety depths.

Aries broke free of the kiss to gasp for air and the sounds of her pleased moans rang in Kanata's ears. Her pain had now faded to a dull ache and the tingling sensation from their joining was spreading throughout her lower body. The friction of his manhood rubbing against her walls sent out waves of pleasure that had her toes curling in delight. S burning heat was coursing through the pit of her stomach as she could feel him reaching deeper inside her with every stroke.

By now, Kanata could tell that the pain of losing her virginity had faded away and he released some of the restraint he had held onto to avoid hurting Aries. With the release of his libido, the pace of his movements accelerated and his thrusts grew more forceful as he took pleasure from ravaging Aries' nubile body. Aries expressed her acceptance of his lustful desires with cries of approvals and her legs rose to lock themselves around his waist, pulling him in even closer.

The sounds of hoarse panting, screams of ecstasy, and the slap of flesh meeting flesh filled the room. The bed shook as Kanata pounded Aries deeper into the mattress. The young lovers had lost themselves in the joy of their first coupling, but given their frantic activity it was only a matter of time before one of them reached their climax.

Given his long years of training, Kanata possessed greater levels of stamina and in the contest of who could last longer, Aries reached her peak first. Her head flew back in a soundless scream of euphoria and her hips bucked upwards as the soft muscles of her vagina convulsed around Kanata's hard cock. With the walls of Aries' pussy rippling along the length of his deck, Kanata soon followed sooth and with a harsh grunt he came inside of her, pumping his seed into her womb.

They were frozen in this position for a moment as the explosion of their shared orgasm crashed through their bodies, but as the waves of pleasure receded the two lovers fell back onto the bed. Exhausted by their lovemaking, Kanata and Aries could only pant for breath as the evidence of their copulation pooled onto the bed. The smell of sex lingered in the air and the room's dehumidifier kicked in to remove some of the steam that had risen from their bodies.

With a groan of effort, Kanata rolled off of Aries, breaking through the limp hold of her legs. The two naked lovers were too tired to go clean themselves up and simply laid there on the bed as they struggled to calm their racing hearts.

Now that the heat of the moment has passed, neither was sure of how to react. Though they had already consummated their relationship, given their mutual inexperience, they didn't know how they should proceed from here. However, for all their concern, they were both deliriously happy to have expressed their love for each other.

As their heartbeats slowed, Kanata and Aries felt their tiredness catch up to them and their eyelids fluttered closed as they drifted off to sleep, still clutching each other's hand.

Author's note: It's been a while since my last smutty story. I hope my reader's enjoyed this tale. If you have any suggestions or have noticed any mistakes please leave a comment for me to read.

In Kanata's small speech in the centre of this chapter, I'm not sure if I really managed to capture my impression of his character and convey it properly. However I thought that this might help explain what drives Kanata to forgive Chrace of his betrayal near the end of the manga. He can see what Chrace could be and wants Chrace to have the opportunity to make the most of his life, the same opportunity that the teacher gave to his students even if it meant sacrificing his life.


End file.
